The Thirteenth Order
by Darthpower166196
Summary: The story takes place after the events of the Kingdom Hearts video games. It follows the side of the next Organization XIII. As a warning... There will be spoilers from some of the games, such as Dream Drop Distance.
1. Prologue

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Prologue_

"_Nothing. That is all we Nobodies are. We strive for what we once had. Hearts. Look around here. What do you see? We are all that is, or maybe we were all that ever was… Atoxkal. Rise. Rise and join us. Strive for what we once had!_" Xernontha's words still rang in his head as he prepared for the missions this day brought. For exactly two weeks, Atoxkal had been given training '_**missions**_'. Though, finally, he was to be given his first true mission.

As Atoxkal walked down the hallway to the Grey Area, he was met by the dark greeting of Xórn. "Atoxkal. Your assignment is going to be a simple one today. Go to Traverse Town and patrol the Third District for Heartless. Remember though, only the Artificial Heartless release their hearts, not the Pureblood Heartless."

"I shall then, Xórn." Atoxkal replied.

Xórn held his hand up. "Wait, Xernontha ordered me to give you these. They are potions and ethers. Use them only in emergencies." With that, Xórn turned and walked away.

As Atoxkal was about to open a Corridor of Darkness to leave, a call stopped him. "Atoxkal, wait!"

"Yes? I'm sorry; I am just in a bit of a hurry at the moment. Xórn finally gave me my first mission. Also, remember how furious you told me Xórn can get if you wait too long to start your mission, Tarhasreux?" Atoxkal said as he turned around.

"That's what I am here about. Xernontha told me to come and help you clear out the Heartless." Tarhasreux replied.

Atoxkal nodded and said, "Ready, then?"

Tarhasreux chuckled and said, "Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, let's go." Atoxkal said. With that, he opened a Corridor of Darkness and they both departed to Traverse Town.


	2. Chapter 1

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 1_

_Heartless_

As Atoxkal and Tarhasreux stepped out of the Corridor of Darkness, they heard screaming in the distance. "That must be where our targets are. It seems they decided to let us have an easy search this time, eh?" Tarhasreux said with a grin.

"Didn't _**you**_ say that the Heartless had a plan for almost everything? Especially when they have a leader controlling them?" Atoxkal asked.

"No, no, no. Atoxkal, I said they are tricky _**when**_ they have a leader. How could they have a leader now? This is probably just a small group of Heartless looking to get more hearts or something. Remember, Heartless, on their own, only act on instinct; they aren't known for being smart," Tarhasreux tried to reason. "This should probably just be a simple mission."

Still, a flicker of doubt remained in Atoxkal's mind. "We'll see…, but could we please still stay alert? I don't trust this place…" Atoxkal muttered.

Before Tarhasreux could reply, a cloud of darkness swarmed over them. Small creatures that looked like they were completely made from darkness slowly made their way from the darkness. "It seems as if they came to us this time. Atoxkal, I hope you are prepared for this!" Tarhasreux warned. "As much as I hate to say this, it seems as if you were right!"

With that, Tarhasreux summoned his weapon, a single-bladed sword that looks as if it was made of water itself. As Tarhasreux rushed into the fight first, Atoxkal summoned his own weapon, a double-bladed sword that is made from fire and ice itself. "_Slash, feint, plunge, repeat!" _Atoxkal remembered from his old days as an apprentice archer, when he was working on his sword practice. One by one, the Heartless fell as they fought.

Once all the Heartless were destroyed, they noticed an even greater portal of darkness start to form about one-hundred yards away. One giant hand, made of the same substance that the other Heartless were made of, reached out of the portal. Then as the rest of the giant Heartless came, Tarhasreux froze. "Atoxkal! Run, this is probably too much of a fight for us! It is a Darkside Heartless. More of those Shadow Heartless seem to be on their way as we speak! We'll need much more help if we even hope to destroy them all!"

Atoxkal only nodded. It seems as if Tarhasreux was right about this; the Darkside Heartless looked like a greater challenge then either of them would be able to handle. "Come on then!" As Atoxkal said that, he opened a Corridor of Darkness and stepped through it.


	3. Chapter 2

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 2_

_Number VII_

Night had fallen as Atoxkal and Tarhasreux returned. "Unfortunately," Tarhasreux muttered, "we'll have to report what happened at Traverse Town to Xórn… So, we should best be careful on how we word it, eh, Atoxkal?"

"I may not know how Xórn acts if a mission is failed, but I did kind of guess that; after seeing how he acted when I was preparing to _**start**_ the mission, that is…" Atoxkal replied, "This should be interesting."

As they walked into the Grey Area, Tarhasreux noticed Xórn looking out the window. "Tarhasreux. Atoxkal. We have found the seventh member. Xernontha has called a meeting. He ordered me to wait for you here. Get going," Xórn said without even looking up. "You can report the details of your mission later."

"Yes, Xórn." replied Tarhasreux in a sarcastic voice. Only loud enough for Atoxkal to hear, as they were walking away, he muttered, "Yes, Xórn. Whatever you say. How did a power-hungry Nobody like him ever make his way to second-in-command, huh? It seems as if 'Yes, Xórn.' is one of the only things we are ever able to say in a reply, eh?"

Atoxkal waited until they were far enough away, then he replied, "Yes… He thinks of himself as a greater power then either then us… I did hear rumor about two of the members planning to overthrow Xernontha; do you think he is one of the two?" 

"Now, Atoxkal…," he paused before replying, "that wouldn't surprise me one bit. Well, anyway, you ready for the meeting?"

"Yes, Tarhasreux. Well, let's take the easy way there, eh?" with that, Atoxkal opened a Corridor of Darkness and stepped through it.

* * *

As all of the Organization XIII members gathered, Xernontha looked out among each of them. They each did not seem to know why he had gathered them. Of course, Xanaki and Xórn had known, being since they were the ones that found Number VII.

_It seems time to start…_ thought Xernontha. "As the Heartless grow, more and more humans fall to them. When Xanaki and Xórn were out attempting to lower their numbers, they have found another Nobody to join our ranks. Xanaki and Xórn have found Number VII, Hexclar." With that, Xernontha nodded to let Xórn know it was time. Xórn nodded back and opened a Corridor of Darkness to summon Hexclar.

* * *

As Hexclar stepped through the Corridor of Darkness, she was surprised to see the welcome. They had seemed to all be full of only darkness, similar to the Organization member that had opened the Corridor.

"Hexclar. Welcome," said the member who she guessed to be Xernontha. "Until you have completed your training, each of your fellow members will assist you with learning the basics about your main opponents, the Heartless."

"Thank you, Xernontha," Hexclar replied to the welcome. "When do you want me to start the training missions?"

Xernontha thought for a minute before replying. "Tomorrow. Once you wake up, head to the Grey Area. Xórn, the one who summoned you here, will give you your first training mission," with that, Xernontha turned towards the rest of the Organization. "The rest of you are dismissed."


	4. Chapter 3

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 3_

_Darkness_

Five days have passed since Hexclar had joined the Organization. As Xórn continued to stare out the window, he thought of when the Heartless invaded his world. They had swarmed down from the sky. _Creatures of Darkness… That is what they are. No more, no less. They may have taken my world, though I __**will **__have my vengeance… After I give all of the missions, I think I will take a look around Twilight Town; there should be enough Heartless there to… temporally settle my rage. _Xórn thought as he waited for the rest of the Organization to gather in the Grey room.

He had already given missions to Xanaki, Atoxkal, and Dirxaen. Today, he planned to have Tarhasreux assist Hexclar. As he waited, he thought of where he would send them. He thought of maybe sending them to Twilight Town as well, but he decided otherwise; since he did not want them getting in his way. As he thought, he didn't notice the darkness rise from the ground. Without warning, two claw-like hands attempted to pull him into the Darkness. He had just enough time to summon his weapon, a brown claymore that looked like the earth itself, before the Darkness enveloped the entire room.

* * *

As Tarhasreux walked into the Grey Area, he thought it strange that Xórn was not there. Most of the time, he found Xórn was usually either waiting here or on another mission; it wasn't like him to be late, either. He thought that maybe Xórn was attacked, but he discarded the thought since he knew the security of Nobodies was great here.

As he thought of a reasonable explanation on why Xórn wasn't here; he heard a noise near the hallway that lead into the Grey Area. Once he looked up, he saw it was Hexclar that entered the room. "Hexclar! Have you seen Xórn yet?" he called across the room.

"Not yet, Tarhasreux. I thought he was here, actually," Hexclar called back to Tarhasreux. "Shouldn't he be here anyway?"

Tarhasreux nodded. "He should. Maybe Xernontha sent him on a mission or something?"

"Maybe. Though, do you know where today's training mission is?" Hexclar asked.

That made Tarhasreux think for a minute. "No, sorry. You think we should ask Xernontha?"

Hexclar nodded. "Okay." With that, they each opened a Corridor of Darkness and walked through it.

* * *

As Xernontha looked upon the World that Never Was from the Alter of Naught, he noticed Number III and Number VII come. As they reached him, Xernontha wondered what they had come for.

"Xernontha," Tarhasreux said, "Xórn hasn't been in the Grey Area. Did you send him on a mission, a recon, or something?"

_Xórn hasn't been found there? Interesting… _"No, I did not send Xórn on a mission. Mandatory or optional. He should have been waiting there to assign you and Hexclar your training mission. Hmm…" Xernontha replied after a minute. "Tarhasreux. Hexclar. You two are both assigned to find Xórn. You two will start with Traverse Town. Search for three hours. If you do not find him within that time, return to the Grey Area."

"Very well. Though, I'm sorry Xernontha, but do you mind if we search in the First District? I probably would not be wise to start in the Third District…" Tarhasreux said, after thinking for a second.

_Yes… The legion of Heartless within the Third District… It probably would be wisest to send them to the First District first._ Xernontha thought. "Yes; search there. If you see even a sign of the Darkside Heartless; retreat for now."

Tarhasreux nodded before replying. "We will then." With that, Tarhasreux and Hexclar opened the Corridor of Darkness and left.

* * *

"So then, Traverse Town… You think he choose it as a test, considering the legion or so of Heartless found there?" Tarhasreux asked Hexclar as they left. "You remember hearing about it, right?"

Hexclar thought for a second before replying. "Yes. I remember the report you gave to Xernontha. You and Atoxkal said there was a Darkside Heartless there, right?" _If I remember right, then this should be an interesting mission… _Hexclar thought.

"Yes," Tarhasreux said, "that is the correct place. Though, remember; as Xernontha said, we will only be in the First District this time. Hundreds of Shadows and a few Darkside are too much for any regular squad to handle."

"Point taken. Well, you ready?" Hexclar asked, after a few seconds.

Tarhasreux chuckled, "When aren't any of us, eh?" With that, they both opened a Corridor of Darkness and departed to Traverse Town.


	5. Chapter 4

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 4_

_The Search_

As Tarhasreux and Hexclar stepped out of the Corridor of Darkness, they noticed that there was something strange going on. There was no sound. It was as if it were a ghost town. _I wonder… They haven't gotten to this part of town yet, have they?_ Tarhasreux wondered. The more he thought of it though, the less it seemed likely. There were no Heartless within the First District; no Heartless that they could see, anyway.

"Is Traverse Town usually like this?" Hexclar asked as they walked passed a deserted store.

Tarhasreux shook his head. "Usually, Hexclar, this town is full of noise and people. I know it may not seem like it, but the Heartless haven't even gotten to this area yet. It's as if all of the people of Traverse Town… were driven out."

Both of them stopped for a minute, as the air around them seemed to freeze. _Darkness… It feels as if it's coming from the Third District…It may not be wise to continue in this part of the town. The Darkness feels like it's coming this way… _Tarhasreux thought as he looked down at the door to the Third District.

"Hexclar. I think we may have found the Darkness we were looking for," Tarhasreux said as he continued looking at the door. With an explosion, the door slammed open. "Correction. I think the Darkness has found us. You'd better get prepared quickly, if you aren't already!"

Hexclar nodded and drew her weapons, twin sai empowered with the speed of the wind. Tarhasreux drew his weapon, as well. To Tarhasreux's surprise, it was only one Heartless. However, as he studied it long enough, he realized that this one seemed to have an aura of power around it. Darkness surrounded the Heartless; and with that, the Heartless raced towards them with incredible speed.

* * *

"Surprising how quickly time flies on missions like this, isn't it Atoxkal?" Dirxaen asked in his 'wise, superior' voice. Dirxaen and Atoxkal were ordered to do a recon on Twilight Town. Xórn had told them that there were increasing reports of Heartless invading the northern section, so he had ordered Atoxkal and Dirxaen to do a quick recon around there.

Atoxkal nodded at Dirxaen's comment. "Let's just hope Xórn isn't too upset when he hears that no major Heartless were found. Well, shall we return to the Castle then, Dirxaen?"

"Yes. It seems as if it's about time, doesn't it?" Dirxaen commented. "Do you want to give the report this time? Since, it is your turn---" Before Dirxaen could finish his statement, a loud explosion sounded behind them.

"It sounded like it came from the Clock Tower!" Atoxkal said quickly. With that, they both ran to the Clock Tower.

* * *

_Give in to the Darkness, Tarhasreux. Give in. You know it is impossible to defeat my legions of Heartless. You have no chance. Give in!_ Tarhasreux heard inside his head. The mysterious Heartless was trying to distract him. He knew that all too well. The Heartless showed him images from his past: The Heartless invading his world. His world falling to the Heartless in less then an hour. Then, worst of all; the nothingness given when you fall to a Heartless.

As the battle raged on, Tarhasreux found that the Heartless was feeding on their fear. He was almost one-hundred percent sure that if the battle continued much longer, they would fall or they would lose their mind to the Heartless's tricks. _We'll have to retreat soon; there's no chance we can take this Heartless. Not on our own, anyway. However, in order to retreat, we'll have to distract it somehow._ Tarhasreux thought.

Without warning, the Heartless charged again at Tarhasreux and Hexclar. Both of them only had about two seconds to dodge the Heartless's relentless attack. The next wave of the Heartless's attacks came at a slower pace. The slower pace of its attacks gave Tarhasreux and Hexclar a chance to attack. As they dodged the wave of attacks, Tarhasreux summoned enough water to form a wall around the Heartless. Once the wall was formed, Hexclar formed a final wall of wind on top of the blockade of water. As soon as the trap was formed, Hexclar moved the wall of wind down within the prison of water.

Once Hexclar and Tarhasreux finished with the trap, they realized that the Heartless wasn't there. _Did we destroy it? Or did we just force it to retreat? Whatever happened, now would probably be a good time to leave. _Tarhasreux thought. "Well, we should probably get going before more come, eh?"

"Yes. That last battle was tiring enough. Imagine how hard another one would be…" Hexclar answered. Before any more Heartless could come, Tarhasreux and Hexclar opened a Corridor of Darkness and left.


	6. Chapter 5

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 5_

_Fear_

As Atoxkal and Dirxaen reached the Clock Tower, they noticed the rubble piled around the entrance. Without warning, another explosion came from behind them, off the gateway they just came through. _Well, this should get interesting. It must be a giant Heartless to cause so much damage. Either that or it must have power over fire…_ Atoxkal thought as they walked into the center of the plateau.

Without warning, a giant claw-like hand swiped at them from behind. Atoxkal and Dirxaen had just enough time to dodge the main attack. As Atoxkal saw the opponent, he realized it was a Darkside Heartless. Before either of them had enough time to summon their weapons, the next attack was launched. The Darkside reached into the ground and pulled out a giant orb-like substance; it through the orb into the air. However, as the orb fell, it multiplied into hundreds of smaller orbs.

"Quick!" Dirxaen yelled to Atoxkal, "Draw your weapon. We must defend against this initial attack. These Darkness orbs multiply, as you've seen; then, as they hit the ground, there is a possibility that the orb will explode. You must be careful!"

Atoxkal nodded and drew hit weapon. As the first wave of the orbs fell, Atoxkal braced himself. If his plan worked, the orbs effect should backfire onto the Darkside. Once the first few orbs were about five feet above him, Atoxkal swung his sword at the closest three orbs. Just as he hoped, the orbs flew away from him and hit the Darkside. "The orbs can be knocked back at the Darkside."

After one minute, the rest of the orbs had be either knocked away or dodged. Before the next attack, Atoxkal noticed that it had to recharge its power. Seizing the moment, both he and Dirxaen laid their attacks on it. As they attacked, the Darkside started to raise one fist into the air. Within the next moment, the Darkside slammed the giant fist into the ground. A wave of energy rushed though the ground to the two Organization members. Atoxkal and Dirxaen had just enough time to shield themselves from the main blast.

The pattern of attacks lasted for about ten more minutes before the Darkside unleashed its next surprise. As the Darkside slowly knelt down, dark energy formed around the empty hole where its heart used to be. Bolts of Darkness sped out of the Darkside and towards Atoxkal and Dirxaen. After they dodged the first wave, they were surprised to see another wave of Darkness speed out of the Darkside; the waves of Darkness continued to come at them for about five or so minutes.

_If we can just get a good enough blow of the Darkside, the battle will be over. Maybe it is time for us to use our combination ability…_ Atoxkal thought as the battle raged on. "Dirxaen! Shall we attempt to finish this with a combination attack?"

"Yes," Dirxaen nodded, "let's use it." With that, Atoxkal rushed at the Darkside with the ice half of his sword aimed at the Heartless. A bolt of ice flew at the Darkside and froze its legs to the ground. Dirxaen unleashed a storm of poison at the Darkside, which forced it to fall. Atoxkal unleashed another bolt of ice at the Darkside that froze the rest of the Darkside. Then, Dirxaen unleashed a bolt of poison at the Darkside while Atoxkal unleashed a bolt of fire at it. The combined bolt shattered the ice and destroyed the Darkside Heartless.

"Now then," joked Atoxkal, "shall we return to the Castle? Heh." With that, they both opened a Corridor of Darkness and returned to the Castle.

* * *

"The Worlds that are neither Light nor Dark; they are the worlds these Heartless seem to be targeting. On Traverse Town, Tarhasreux and Hexclar were attacked by an unidentified Heartless. On Twilight Town, Dirxaen and Atoxkal were attacked by a Darkside Heartless." Xernontha announced to the gathered members of the Organization. "Along with the attacks, Xórn was captured earlier."

After each of the groups had reported to him about their missions, Xernontha had decided to call a meeting. In order to defeat these legions of Heartless, they needed to see how the Heartless attacked and where they would or have attacked. As Xernontha looked upon the gathered members of Organization XIII, he noticed that Number III was about to speak.

"When we were attacked on Traverse Town, the Heartless targeted our minds as well. It brought up memories of the past and tried to convince us to give in to the Darkness," Tarhasreux told Xernontha. "The Heartless nearly won as well. We were, thankfully, able to force it to retreat."

_The Heartless targeted their minds? Interesting…_ Xernontha thought. "Tarhasreux. Hexclar. Are either of you two able to describe what the Heartless looked like or how it attacked?"

Both of them nodded. "The Heartless used speed to charge us before launching a flurry of swipes with its sword-like hands." Hexclar replied. "Between each attack, it assaulted our minds; trying to get us to give in, as Tarhasreux said."

"It also claimed to be the leader of the Heartless. When it attacked my mind, it said 'You know it is impossible to defeat my legions of Heartless.'" Tarhasreux added in.

_It claimed to be the leader? Hm… The invasion seems to have only begun…_ thought Xernontha. "Good work, Tarhasreux and Hexclar." Xernontha turned to Dirxaen and Atoxkal. "Dirxaen. Atoxkal. Did anything strange happen with the Darkside?"

"It only seemed more powerful then normal, as if it was feeding of the Darkness to increase its attacks." Atoxkal replied.

Dirxaen nodded, "The Heartless seemed as if it were being controlled by something, as well. Along with the increase in power, the Heartless's attacks seemed to multiply. For example, the bolts of Darkness it can use to fight multiplied from the regular two bolts to six bolts."

That last statement caught Xernontha by surprise. _Interesting… It seems as if whatever was controlling it was the same as what was controlling the Heartless Tarhasreux and Hexclar fought. _"Good work, Dirxaen and Atoxkal." Xernontha said before turning to the rest of the Organization. "You are dismissed."


	7. Chapter 6

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 6_

_Fury of the Past_

As the weeks wore on, not one single member of the Organization was able to find any trace of neither Xórn nor the Heartless. It seemed as if they had both just vanished. After the attacks by the Heartless on Tarhasreux, Hexclar, Atoxkal, and Dirxaen, all of the Organization's members were stationed on Traverse Town and Twilight Town, to search for any more traces of the legions of Heartless. No such trace had been found.

After six weeks of searching, Xernontha had called another meeting. "For almost two months, we have searched for them," Xernontha commented. "For almost two months, we have found no trace of them. It isn't like Heartless to wait for so long without an attack.

"Their leader, Heartless or not, must be waiting for our guard to drop. We must find their main base and attack. If we fail to eliminate them soon…" Xernontha let his sentence hang.

_I think it is time to send them __**there**_. "Yesterday, as I scouted a near-by world, I might have found a trace of the Heartless." Xernontha said, as he turned his attention to two of the Organization's members. "You two, Dirxaen and Xanaki, tomorrow go to the world once known as Hollow Bastion. Search the castle near the northern most part of the world."

Both of them nodded. Xernontha turned his attention to the rest of the Organization. "You are all dismissed. Prepare for the next day's work, if you haven't yet."

The next day, Dirxaen and Xanaki prepared to head to Hollow Bastion. Once they both arrived in the Grey Area, Dirxaen and Xanaki opened a Corridor of Darkness and departed for the castle. _This'll be interesting…A castle possibly filled with Heartless and it has to be infiltrated… Now __**this**__ will be hard._ Dirxaen thought as they walked out of the portal.

Once to the castle, Dirxaen noticed a new aura. _Darkness!_ "Xanaki, the Heartless; they are here. I sense a powerful aura of Darkness coming from right ahead." Dirxaen said, as they walked towards the castle.

"It looks like Xernontha was right after all. Come on!" Xanaki quickly said as they walked towards the castle. "The quicker we get in there the quicker we get back to the Castle."

_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_ Dirxaen thought as they came closer and closer to the Darkness. As they walked through the door, Dirxaen noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Then, without warning the doors slammed shut and a Heartless jumped out of nowhere and right at Dirxaen and Xanaki.

_Where… Where am I? What? This can't be! It is... My old world… Radiant Garden!_ Xórn thought as he started to wake up. _How… How can this be? The Heartless… They destroyed it years ago…_ As he started to stand up, he noticed a small orb of Darkness floating on the other side of the room. _The castle… I am in the castle… _

"Good, you were not damaged too much, Xórn. It's been a while, indeed," a voice said behind him. As Xórn turned around to see who the speaker was, he was surprised to see there was no one there. "Do not bother to find me, my old friend. I am not here. Not entirely, anyway."

Xórn was getting furious now. "Where are you! How do you know me?"

"What? You do not remember me? Has it been so long that you have all but forgotten? Well then… I guess you will have to be given time to think," the voice replied back. With that last statement, the voice disappeared.

As the Heartless jumped down upon Dirxaen and Xanaki, they had just enough time to summon their weapons. Then, without warning, a second Heartless jumped down from the pillar to the right. "I think this may be a bit more challenging than they originally told us, eh, Xanaki?" Dirxaen asked. "How many of these Heartless do you think they have total? Ten? Twenty? More?"

"Well, only one way to find out," Xanaki yelled as she charged at the closest Heartless. Xanaki's own weapons, twin fans that mainly focused on channeling the wind to attack targets, slashed at the Heartless.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate it when you say something like that?" Dirxaen asked as he attacked the second Heartless. As the battle raged on, neither Dirxaen nor Xanaki noticed the small floating orb of Darkness that was watching the battle.

After about twenty minutes, Dirxaen and Xanaki were able to eliminate the two Heartless. Even though the Heartless were defeated, they still needed to deal with a greater problem: getting out of Hollow Bastion…


	8. Chapter 7

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 7_

_Infiltration_

Xernontha walked into the Grey Area after the meeting. As he looked around, he saw the remaining members – Tarhasreux, Hexclar, and Atoxkal – waiting for orders. "Tarhasreux, go to Traverse Town. I have heard word that there may be another there to join our ranks."

Tarhasreux slowly stood up and replied, while yawning, "Fine by me." He opened a Dark Corridor, and as he was walking through, he muttered, "It'll give me something to do, finally."

After Tarhasreux left the Grey Area, Xernontha turned to Hexclar and Atoxkal. "You two. Head to Hollow Bastion. I sent Dirxaen and Xanaki through the front gates. Infiltrate the Castle through the side entrance."

Hexclar and Atoxkal nodded as they opened a Dark Corridor.

"Hurry! More of them are coming. Five Sergeants, by the looks of it," Xanaki called as she and Dirxaen ran past the North Wing of the Castle. It had been one and a half hours since they were trapped in the Castle. Dirxaen glanced behind him as they ran. _Not more!_ Through the entire time they were running, more and more Heartless began to chase them. _Well, this really is the right place…_

They came up on a large doorway. Though, once they were about one-hundred yards of the door, Dirxaen looked over as Xanaki tripped on an invisible wire. _Uh-oh. __**That**__ can't be good._ As he looked up again, he saw the door starting to close. "Uh-oh! Run! The door… It's closing!"

_Ninety yards._ Dirxaen thought as they ran. He looked behind them and saw the Heartless were catching up. _Sixty-five yards. This is taking too long! _

As Hexclar and Atoxkal stepped out of the Dark Corridor, they noticed that there were not many Heartless outside the castle of Hollow Bastion. "Strange… Doesn't it seem like there should be a few guards or something out here?" Atoxkal asked.

Hexclar thought for a few second before replying. "Yeah, though, remember; Dirxaen and Xanaki were infiltrating the front entrance."

"True enough," Atoxkal replied as they walked towards Hollow Bastion's side entrance. The entrance was a strangely small door. After they walked through the door, Hexclar and Atoxkal saw a long hallway.

After walking for a few minutes, they came across their first Heartless. A group of ten Shadows. "Ready?" Hexclar asked, as she summoned her sai.

"Yeah," Atoxkal nodded while summoning his sword. One of the Shadows noticed them and charged, and the other Shadows followed.

_Huh? More?_ Hexclar thought as she noticed five more Shadows come out of the Darkness. She slashed at the nearest Heartless. The Shadow disappeared into Darkness. Hexclar looked around the area, she noticed seven more Heartless came into the battle. Three Shadows and four Commanders. _Still more? This is going to be a bit harder._


	9. Chapter 8

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 8_

_Number VIII_

Tarhasreux walked out of the Dark Corridor. "Wonder who the new Nobody is," he muttered to himself while yawning. _Guess I'll find out soon,_ he thought. _And it seems I'm not alone here…_

Only a matter of seconds after he walked out of the Dark Corridor, twenty Soldiers and three Commanders came out of the Darkness and surrounded him. Tarhasruex summoned his single-bladed sword and grinned. "Interesting 'wake-up call', though not complaining here."

Tarhasreux slashed at the Soldier nearby while hitting the Soldier to the right with the hilt of the sword. A Commander charged at Tarhasreux, though he dodged in time. The dodge knocked the Commander off balance, and Tarhasreux took the time to slash at the Heartless. "Come on… I guess it's not a 'wake-up call' yet…" he taunted.

The closest Soldier swiped towards Tarhasreux. He sidestepped and slashed at the Heartless while saying, "Ambushes. Finally! Now this is a 'wake-up call'!"

After a few more minutes of fighting, Tarhasreux noticed a difference in the temperature. _Heat? _He looked up looked up and saw a fireball falling towards the Third District. Tarhasreux jumped back just in time as the fireball hit the group of Heartless.

"Need some help?" a voice asked as Tarhasreux spun around.

Dionxll chuckled as he walked towards the stranger. "I'll ask again. Need help?" He summoned his weapons, twin Arrow-pistols. Dionxll grinned as he jumped back. He quickly infused his next blasts with fire, and shot two Soldier Heartless that came up behind the stranger. "You may want to watch it."

"I thought they were done…" the stranger replied. "Come on, give me a break. I just woke up about an hour ago." The stranger yawned, then un-summoned his weapon. "At least their done now."

Dionxll chuckled. "Yeah. At least their done now. Anyway, who are you? Not some citizen, I bet."

The stranger nodded. "My name is Tarhasreux. And you're right about that. Who are you, and how did you know, anyway?"

"The name's Dionxll. As for how did I know? I am not from here, either." Dionxll replied. "No clue how I got here, or many memories from my past, though I know I'm not from here."

Tarhasreux closed his eyes for a second before replying. "You mind coming with me? There's someone you should meet." He raised his hand, and a portal of some kind appeared in front of him. "If you accept, walk through the Dark Corridor," Tarhasreux called out before he walked through the 'Dark Corridor'.

"Well, better this than nothing," Dionxll muttered to himself as he walked through the portal.

Xernontha was in the Round Room as Tarhasreux and Dionxll came out of the Dark Corridor. "Is this, by any chance, the person you were talking of?" Tarhasreux called up to him.

"Yes, it is." Xernontha replied as he looked towards Dionxll. "You are a Nobody: a creature of neither Light nor Darkness. We do not have hearts, which in turn, we do not have emotions. Feelings. You have been chosen to join us. We shall strive for the hearts we once had."

Dionxll looked up towards Xernontha. "Wait. What? If I am a Nobody, how is it I am feeling confused?"

"We can remember the feelings we once had. So those 'feelings' you have; they are only memories of the feelings you once had." Xernontha replied.

Tarhasreux turned to Dionxll. "Yeah, we don't actually feel in the sense most do. Basically? We remember."

Dionxll sighed. "Fine, I'll join. What now?"

"Rest for now; within one week, you training will begin," Xernontha replied. "You are dismissed."


	10. Chapter 9

The Thirteenth Order

Chapter 9

Nothingness

"Watch out! Five more coming from the right!" Hexclar yelled as the battle raged on. So far, they had eliminated countless numbers of Heartless, and yet they still were coming. She slashed at a Shadow as it appeared from the ground_. If they don't stop coming soon, we'll have to find another way out._

"Rrrrraaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh!" Hexclar spun around as she saw a giant wolf-like Heartless emerge from a corridor behind them. She noticed Atoxkal also spin around. About twenty feet behind him, an Invisible emerged from the Darkness.

"Behind you!" Hexclar yelled to Atoxkal. He spun around to face the Invisible right as it hit him with an orb of Darkness. Atoxkal grunted as he recovered from the blow and went to strike back at the Invisible.

Atoxkal turned to Hexclar for a second. "Watch out! The giant Heartless is almost here." Hexclar nodded and turned to face it. _Wind. _Hexclar thought as she prepared to attack.

Hexclar threw one of her sai, guided by the wind, towards the Heartless. It tried to dodge, though its front left paw was hit. "Grrrrrrr…" The Heartless responded to the attack by charging forward and swiping a giant claw at her. Hexclar summoned the wind to block its attack.

As she blocked, she noticed two more Invisibles joined the battle. _Is this never ending?_ She went to stab towards the Heartless. While she did that, she quickly scanned the surrounding area to see if there was an escape route. _There!_ Hexclar turned to Atoxkal while blocking the Heartless's next attack. "Atoxkal! Down this way!"

Hexclar summoned the wind to push the Heartless into the wall, to serve as a distraction. Atoxkal slashed at one Invisible and used fire to distract the other two. Both of them then dashed down the corridor Hexclar found. They both quickly used fire and wind to close the doors. "Good eye, my friend. We would have been stuck if this escape wasn't found."  
_

The door slammed shut as Dirxaen and Xanaki were only a couple yards from it. "Gah! This is just great!" Xanaki yelled as she and Dirxaen turned to face the Heartless that were coming from behind them.

One of the Heartless dashed towards Dirxaen. He was able to jump out of the way in time. Xanaki shot a wave of wind towards the Heartless and Dirxaen shot some of his poison to mix in with the wind. "This can be a short distraction, but it'll probably not last for long. You see anyway out of here?" Dirxaen asked as he infused some more poison into the wave of wind.

Xanaki looked around. She saw a gap in the wall to their left. "There!" she pointed at the gap. Dirxaen nodded and started towards the gap. After shooting one last wave of wind at the Heartless, Xanaki followed.

After they made their way through the gap, Dirxaen turned and yelled, "Now, we need to seal it so they can't get through!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know!" Xanaki shot a blast of wind at the gap and Dirxaen shot a blast of poison at it. "Don't need reminded why I hate Heartless…" Xanaki growled as they destroyed the gap.


	11. Chapter 10

The Thirteenth Order

Chapter 10

_Respite_

"We'd best find some place to rest before continuing on, huh?" Atoxkal asked as they walked away from closing the door.

Hexclar nodded as she said, "Yeah. That was a close one earlier." After a few minutes, they found a place to rest. As they sat down, Hexclar asked, "I know this'll seem like a strange question, though how long have you been with the Organization, Atoxkal?"

Atoxkal was silent for a minute before replying. "About a year. At least, I think it was that long ago since my master betrayed me and my allies."

_His master betrayed them? Atoxkal's master turned him into a Nobody?_ "I'm sorry for asking this, though who was your master?" Hexclar asked after a moment.

"Don't be sorry for asking, my friend. You may ask anything you wish." Atoxkal was silent for another moment before finishing. "My master… his name was Xehanort." 

_Xehanort… That name sounds familiar._ "And Xehanort was the person that turned you into a Nobody?"

"In a sense. He tricked my friends into thinking I betrayed them… Their hatred summoned some Heartless." More to himself than aloud, he muttered, "Strange thing is, that is about as far as I can remember."

"I know what you mean. Unfortunately, I can't remember that far either. Maybe it's just something that happens when you turn into a Nobody?"

"Yeah. Probably is." Atoxkal closed his eyes in thought for a minute. "Hexclar, you ever wonder what it's like to have a heart?"

Hexclar nodded. "Sometimes. At least we can remember our past emotions though."

Atoxkal looked at Hexclar and lightly smiled. "True enough." Atoxkal closed his eyes for a minute. "You think Xehanort has something to do with the Heartless attacks?"

"Probably. Let's just hope he isn't, though."

"True enough. Promise me one thing though. That you'll be careful."

"Only as careful as you are."

"In that case," Atoxkal chuckled, "I'll make sure to be careful… if you do."

"Stubborn bird."

"Thank you."


	12. Chapter 11

The Thirteenth Order

Chapter 11

_The Unknown_

After Dirxaen and Xanaki sealed the door, Dirxaen sighed then muttered, "That was close…"

Xanaki glared at him and snapped, "That was close? You think?" She rolled her eyes, then sarcastically added in, "No… I think the Heartless decided they would be nice and let us go."

Dirxaen ignored her. He then looked around the surrounding area. There were three paths. "So, Xanaki… Which path?"

"Left." Xanaki started down the path and Dirxaen followed. Neither of them noticed the shadow of the figure that had watched them, and neither of them noticed it start to follow them.

_Maybe we can just return to Xernontha and tell him the Northern side of the castle is filled with Heartless? Maybe that would be enough to call a "mission complete"._ As Dirxaen thought that, he closed his eyes as he tried to summon a Dark Corridor. _Nothing… Great! A barrier included with this? This will be fun…_

A few hours had passed since the orb of Darkness visited Xórn. Within the few hours, Xórn had tried to think of who that person was, but he was not successful. He closed his eyes as he tried to think of who it was. As he did, he sensed something else coming. Not a second after he opened his eyes, a wall of Darkness formed at the far edge of the prison. A man stepped out. "Who are you?" Xórn asked to the figure.

The figure was silent for a minute. "My name is of no importance. You, though… Do you remember your name?"

"Of course I do. My name is Xórn. What do you want with me? Are you the person that came before?"

"Good…" the figure stated. "It seems it did not last too long."

"What didn't?" Xórn's fury was now rising. "And you didn't answer my questions. Are you the same person who came before? And what do you want with me?"

The figure just chuckled slightly. "I am not the person who came before. You, though, shall not learn any more at the present time."

"What is so funny?"

"You know nothing, so you understand nothing," the figure turned around and started to leave.

"Wait!"

The figure just continued to walk through the Darkness. He was gone within a moment.

After about an hour of rest, Hexclar and Atoxkal started to continue with the mission. They looked around; they saw only one main pathway. As they walked, the pathway grew darker. "Best to be on guard, huh? The Heartless'll have even more of an easy time in laying an ambush here, won't they?" Atoxkal asked.

"Yeah. We'd best also watch out for Xanaki and Dirxaen. It would be hard to tell friend from foe here," Hexclar said as they walked.

"True enough." They walked for a few more moments 'til they saw a small light at the end of the pathway. _There it is._ Hexclar thought as they walked. Once they got to the small light, they saw it was an ajar door. As they opened the door, Hexclar and Atoxkal saw the lead out to an open courtyard.

"Strange… We haven't seen a single Heartless since before we stopped to rest," Hexclar said.

Atoxkal nodded. "Yeah. I know what you mean. It seems like there would have been more of them by now."

"Yeah." Hexclar nodded as they walked forward. "Still, watch out. They will probably be coming…" As they walked into the center of the courtyard, about thirty Shadows surrounded them. "…soon."

Hexclar and Atoxkal summoned their weapons by the time the Shadows finished coming out of the Darkness. Hexclar turned to focus on the Heartless to the right while Atoxkal turned to focus on the Heartless to the left. Atoxkal said, "Good luck, and be careful."

"Thanks. Good luck to you, and be careful." Hexclar replied.

Atoxkal chuckled. "Only as careful as you are."

"Stubborn bird." Hexclar dashed forward and slashed at one of the Heartless.

"Thank you," Atoxkal called back as he went in to attack the Heartless to the left.

One of the Shadows jumped forward and swiped a claw towards Hexclar. She jumped back and threw one of her sai at the Heartless, using the wind to increase the speed of her weapon. As the Heartless faded into Darkness, Hexclar used the wind to bring her weapon back.

Hexclar noticed that with every Shadow that fell, four more took their place. _We'll have to escape if they keep coming._ Almost as soon as she finished thinking that, the Shadows just started to freeze. Then, they all started to disappear back into the Darkness. _They're retreating? I wonder why…_

"Hm?" Hexclar heard Atoxkal grunt in surprise as she turned around. Atoxkal was kneeling near the center of the courtyard.

"What's the matter?" Hexclar asked as she walked over to him.

Atoxkal stood up as she came over. He looked more worried than she had ever seen him. "This…" Atoxkal opened his hand to show a small note. "It's… It's _him_…"

As Hexclar walked closer, she saw a word written on the note. '**The Master**', it read.

"Xehanort… It is him…"


	13. Chapter 12

The Thirteenth Order

Chapter 12

_Pain_

A figure stood in the shadows at the far end of the courtyard. _So… The Heartless have completed their task… Good._ The figure chuckled slightly, but not loud enough for those two to hear. _I wonder… Does my former apprentice realize the truth yet? I will soon know…_

_Xehanort? This is defiantly bad news. _"Atoxkal, we probably have enough evidence for Xernontha," Hexclar said after a moment. "Let's return to the Castle."

"Yeah…" Atoxkal was silent for a few minutes. "Just be careful, Hexclar. Xehanort is a dangerous opponent."

"I will. Be careful, too, okay?"

"I will." Atoxkal looked up at the sky. "Ready, then?"

"Yeah." Hexclar scanned the surrounding area to see if there was a quick way back. She noticed a strange shadow on the far side of the courtyard. "Do you see that shadow over there?" Hexclar whispered as she nodded towards the shadow.

"Yeah. You think it could be a Heartless?"

"I don't know." Hexclar replied. She threw one of her sai at the figure, using the wind to increase the speed and accuracy of her attack.

"The two of you have found me? So, do the two of you work as a team, Atoxkal, or do you still not know the meaning of teamwork?" a voice asked. The figure's voice sounded empty of emotion.

"Who… Who are you?" Atoxkal asked.

_Xehanort…_ Hexclar thought to herself. _This must be Xehanort._

"You do not remember? Perhaps this will remind you." The figure summoned a black Keyblade. Xehanort's Keyblade.

"Xehanort…?" Atoxkal asked.

"Good. You remember," Xehanort replied.

_This is bad. We've got to retreat soon._ Hexclar thought as the conversation went on.

"Three of the five have become Nobodies. One has become Nothing, and only one has not fallen." Xehanort chuckled slightly.

Atoxkal jumped back a bit in surprise. "Three? You mean Xanaki and I are not the only ones who've become Nobodies?"

_Xanaki was also one of Xehanort's apprentices?_ Hexclar looked around, searching for a way out.

"Yes. I believe you can assume who Xanecl is?" Xehanort turned around an opened a Dark Corridor. A boy walks out.

"He has turned you, as well?" Atoxkal asked Xanecl.

Xanecl stayed silent. Xehanort looked towards Hexclar and Atoxkal. "He hardly knows what is going on. That is how new he is. So, you will understand if he does not speak yet? Xanecl will join you in the Organization. I have a feeling Xernontha will not disagree?" Xehanort put emphasis on the word feeling, just to aggravate them. He then turned around and opened another Dark Corridor. He proceeded to walk through it.

Hexclar turned to Atoxkal. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... Don't worry. We had just better get out of here, though, hm…?" He turned to Xanecl. "Xanecl. We'll be returning to the Castle That Never Was. Ready?"

Xanecl walked forward towards them. Hexclar turned and opened a Corridor back to the Castle. Xanecl walked through. Atoxkal turned to Hexclar. "Thank you."

"For what?" Hexclar asked.

Atoxkal smiled slightly. "Thank you, again." He bowed to Hexclar then walked through the Corridor as Hexclar followed.


	14. Chapter 13

_The Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter 13_

_Number IX_

"So… Xehanort has made his return?" Xernontha asked when Atoxkal, Hexclar, and Xanecl returned. "And, it is your belief that he is the force behind the Heartless's forces?" _Well, this shall prove interesting indeed. I wonder how he was able to return. After those… children eliminated him in the years back, I wonder how he was able to return…_

Atoxkal looked up at Xernontha. "Yes. It is strange, though… W-When he left… Well… He brought Xanecl here to become a member of Organization XIII… He seems to be a new Nobody, though… Xehanort… he never does anything without a reason…"

"Yes… Do not forget that I knew him, as well…" Xernontha pointed out. He crossed his arm and closed his eyes before he continued. "It seems like Xanecl's power can and will grow easily…" He looked at Atoxkal and Hexclar. "He shall become Number IX. After one week, we shall start his training."

Hexclar nodded. "Alright." She closed her eyes in thought. _Atoxkal seemed to be a bit off… I'll ask him about it later. _"Are we needed for anything else now, Xernontha?"

He shook his head. "Rest. For the rest of the day. You shall be given your next missions later on. Before you rest, show Xanecl to his room."

Hexclar and Atoxkal nodded. "Will do," they said. Hexclar opened a Dark Corridor, then they both walked through it.

* * *

"What? We're lost?" Dirxaen sighed. "Didn't we travel to the left to _avoid_ getting lost?" It had been an hour since they decided to turn to the left. All that they had seen since that time were Heartless and walls.

Xanaki growled as she replied, "You asked me which way to go. If you're so all knowing, why didn't you take the lead, huh?"

Dirxaen attempted to ignore that. "Let's just get out of here, huh? I think we've found enough to give a full enough report. If we just travel, we'll find an exit sooner or later."

"Fine…" They both started towards the way they came. Barely a few seconds after they got up, an explosion filled the area around them.

They both yelled in surprise. "Where did that come from?" Dirxaen said once the explosion settled. Not a moment after he said that, a wall of Darkness built up – blocking the way they came.

Xanaki growled, "Now how are we going to get out of here…?" She turned around and walked towards the center of the room. After a short moment, Dirxaen followed. "First the explosion and now this…?"

Dirxaen sighed, then, as he turned towards the left, "I'll try again to-" he broke off as he saw the Darkness starting to gather. "Uh… Xanaki…?"

"WHAT?" she yelled. She turned towards Dirxaen and growled as she saw the Darkness. "Great, this just keeps getting better and better…!"

As the Darkness gathered, it started to form a giant creature that resembled a dragon made of pure Darkness. Once it finished forming, the Heartless's yellow eyes glanced across the room. Once it saw them, it started to walk in the direction of the two Nobodies.

Dirxaen and Xanaki both summoned their weapons as they saw this. They both started to run – Xanaki to the right and Dirxaen to the left – both towards the Heartless. As they ran, Dirxaen summoned a sphere of acid and threw it at the Heartless. As he did this, Xanaki started to prepare a current of wind. Once prepared, she had it go towards the Heartless.

The Heartless growled as both attacks hit. It whipped its tail towards Dirxaen in an attempt to throw him back, and then charged towards Xanaki – it slashed with its claws once close enough. Xanaki tried to summon a wall of wind to protect against the Heartless's attack, but it was already too close.

Xanaki growled in rage and pain. After a moment, she sent a wave of wind in an attempt to knock the Heartless back. "BACK!" She sent another wave of wind – but with enough energy to throw the Heartless back. It flew back into the wall. As the Heartless hit, the wall started to break.

The Heartless growled as it got back to its feet. Xanaki prepared another blast of wind, but the Heartless stopped halfway. After a few seconds, the Heartless started to fall and fade into Darkness. Xanaki looked around and saw Dirxaen's weapon pointed towards the Heartless. "Nice shot for once," she said.

"I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult… But guess I'll say thanks." He let his weapon disappear as he said that and he walked over towards Xanaki. "Well… Nice shot, as well. The broken wall over there is weak enough for us to finish breaking. In other words… We have an escape."


	15. Chapter 14

_Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter XIV_

_Will of Nothing_

_Darkness surrounding… Overflowing… The hate… The rage… It feels endless… Like no matter how we go… No matter what happens… It will always be there… Surrounding us… Suffocating us… Slowly destroying us… I can't... _With that, Xanecl woke up with a start – terrified. He sat up quickly, still panting slightly after the nightmare. "Awake…?"

It had been a month since he was brought into the Organization. Once Xanecl had recovered from… Well… Whatever it was… He started his training. But even still, he could not remember a single aspect of his life before the Organization. It was almost like a mental block. In fact, he couldn't even remember being brought to the Castle That Never Was. All he knew was what he was told – two other members of the Organization found him in another Castle – known as Hollow Bastion, was it?

As long as he could remember, even if it wasn't very far back, he kept waking up with that same nightmare – with the Darkness trying to envelop him. He tried to ask Xernontha what it meant once – but he wouldn't give a full answer. Only, what Xanecl assumed, were half-truths. If Xernontha wouldn't give him answers, he doubted any of the others would. So he decided the best course of action would be to either try to find out on his own – or ignore it completely. However, with how-

A tap on his shoulder interrupted his train of thought. As he whipped around, weapon summoned as he did so, he came face-to-face with a Dusk. Relaxing slightly, he allowed his weapon, a claymore, to fade. Speaking into his mind, the Dusk whispered, `_Child… The Superior… He calls… Come… Go to… Where Nothing Gathers… Do so… now…`_

Xanecl just nodded slightly. "Yeah. Fine. On my way." He started to stand, waving his hand as he did so to manipulate the Darkness into forming a Corridor to Where Nothing Gathers. As much as he hated having to use them, even he had to admit that they were useful in traveling quickly – and traveling to places that would be impossible to access without one.

"Welcome," Xernontha spoke, as soon as everyone had arrived, "A few months ago, one of our own was taken – he was lost to us. Until now. We have obtained a trace to Xórn's location. He is in the center of the Darkness caused by the Heartless, but he has not faded. They keep him on the edge of life, for reasons unknown to me still."

"What's the plan?" Tarhasreux asked, half grinning at the thought of an excuse to get back to some field work.

Xernontha paused for a moment before offering a reply. "We will launch separate attacks on their forces, creating a diversion for a small strike at its heart – where we should find Xórn. I will personally be leading this strike."

All of them looked shocked at the final statement. Xanecl was the first to speak, "I know I'm one of the latest to join, but… Don't you tend to want to stay at the Castle? Won't it be unguarded or something if you left?"

Tarhasreux glared and started to tell him it isn't wise to speak to the Superior as such, but Xernontha only chuckled slightly. "I am not this Castle's only defense, child. There is much more."

Xanecl started to ask what he meant, but chose not to. Instead, he decided to ask, "Alright. Anyway, though… When do we start these attacks?"

"Not yet. We must prepare." He paused for a short moment before continuing. "Atoxkal and Hexclar. Search the World known as 'Land of Ninja'. The Dusks reported that the Heartless have struck there. A powerful heart was lost, however the body formed another like us. The two of you are tasked with recruiting him."

The two of them nodded quickly to that.

Xernontha then turned to Tarhasreux and Xanecl. "The two of you – search 'World of Death'. Something they refer to as a "Weapon" has lost its heart. We are unsure if a Nobody was formed, however. You two are to search for any traces that the Dusks could not find."

The two of them also nodded.

Finally, Xernontha turned to Dirxaen and Xanaki. "And you two… Travel to the Wastelands – beyond the Keyblade Graveyard… I sense something is there. The two of you will draw their attention from the World of Death and the Land of Ninja by leading a strike there."

Dirxaen and Xanaki nodded quickly, muttering "Alright."

Xernontha closed his eyes for a moment. Once he opened them, he only calmly said "Dismissed."


	16. Chapter 15

_Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter XV_

_Chaos Complete_

The Dark Corridor opened into the heart of a small village as Atoxkal and Hexclar walked through it. But, something was off about it. The village appeared to be undamaged, but there was no-one walking around. No-one doing any daily activities. Et cetera. It was just empty. Not even the Heartless were in sight, nor could they be sensed.

Hexclar looked up towards Atoxkal as they walked. "Any idea what could have happened?"

Atoxkal shook his head. "I have no idea… 'Til we find out, though. Be careful. I have a bad feeling about this place…"

Hexclar nodded. "Yeah… " After a moment, she pointed a bit towards the East. "Thought I saw some movement from there."

Atoxkal quickly nodded. "Same. Let's-" He was cut off as loud, insane laughter could be heard from a short distance away. "Let's go!"

After a few minutes, they both arrived at the source of the laughter. A man with a black and red cloak was standing in the middle of a blood red circle with a triangle within. At the sound of the two Nobodies approaching, he turned around. The skull-like tattoo on his face almost looked like it was grinning when he saw them. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAHAAAAAAH AAAAAAAA! Just when I thought it was over! More sacrifices!"

The voice of a second man sounded from a nearby building. "Calm down, Hidan. One of these days, you will end up starting a fight which will, of course, result in your own death." As the man walked out of the building, they could see he had the same cloak. But, instead of the skull tattoo, he had a facemask on.

"Shut the hell up, Kakauzu! It's not like I've not told you this a million times before! I can't be killed! I'm immortal, remember?!"

As the two continued to argue, Atoxkal turned slightly to Hexclar as he whispered, "What… What are these two doing…?"

Hexclar shook her head slightly before replying. "I don't know… I'll use my sai to try to take down the person with the facemask. You try to freeze the 'immortal' guy."

Atoxkal nodded slightly. He turned his attention fully back to the other two, who were still arguing, but not about collecting bounties or sacrificing people to a 'Lord Jashin'. After a moment, he saw Hexclar throw one of her sai, using the wind to guide it towards the man who he heard called 'Kakauzu'. As she did so, Atoxkal prepared a bolt of frost to attempt to freeze the man who he heard called 'Hidan'.

He started to grin slightly as he saw they were almost about to hit, however it wasn't long before his reaction changed completely into shock. Without even looking, Kakauzu grabbed Hexclar's sai out of mid-air before going to throw it back – while at the same time, Hidan used a large scythe to deflect Atoxkal's frost bolt.

Shocked, Atoxkal whispered to Hexclar, "How… How did they…?"

Hexclar shook her head slightly. "I don't know…" More aloud to them, "Who are you people?"

Hidan just laughed. "Thanks to loudmouth here, you already know our names. We're a part of the Akatsuki, kid. Usually, the Leader restricts my killing. But, you know what? I THINK THERE'LL BE TWO MORE SACRIFICES!"

Kakauzu sighed slightly. "Don't take too long, Hidan."

Hidan only laughed to this. "Don't take too long?! I'll take as long as I want! So shut up and stay out of my way!"

Kakauzu sighed again, but jumped back, doing as said.

Hidan grinned before throwing his scythe towards Atoxkal. He was able to mostly dodge it, but he suffered a scratch on the arm, drawing minor blood. In response, Hidan pulled his scythe back, but strangely… He was grinning. Even more strangely… He moved his scythe up towards his own head as he went to lick the blood off the scythe.

Atoxkal looked to be a mix between shocked and disgusted. "What the…?"

Hidan started to laugh, beginning quietly but the laughter growing in a few short minutes. "Time to die, kid!" Still inside the circle, he started to draw a long spike from the sleeve of his cloak. Hexclar responded by throwing one of her sai towards him. Rather than trying to dodge, he let it hit his arm holding the spike.

However, as this happened, Atoxkal grunted with pain. A large stab wound started to appear in his arm. Before he could figure it out, Hidan stabbed his own leg with his spike, laughing. Atoxkal fell as a similar wound appeared on his leg, as well.

Hexclar looked shocked as this went on. "Atoxkal!" She started to run over towards him, pausing only to send a blast of wind towards Hidan, knocking him back a few feet. Out of the circle.

"How the hell did you-" Hidan started, yelling. But he stopped as he saw Darkness cover the two kids. By the time the Darkness disappeared, they were gone.

"You let them slip away, Hidan…" Kakauzu sighed. "You took too long."

"Shut up…"


	17. Chapter 16

_Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter XVI_

_Enveloping Darkness_

Xórn sat alone in the Darkness, trying to recall what he had forgotten. However, the more he tried to recall that, he continued to forget other matters. Then, when he tried to remember them, he only ended up forgetting something else. Growing frustrated, he slammed his fist against the 'ground'.

"Have you remembered, old friend…?" spoke a voice that could be heard all around Xórn.

"No… I haven't… "

"I have given you some time to think, and you are yet unaware…" The voice sighed. "Pity. I had hoped you would by now."

Xórn started to growl in frustration. "If you want for me to know who you are, can't you just tell me?!"

The voice only laughed slightly. "Angry…? You truly haven't changed. However, if for no other reason than to thank you for previously, I can grant you this…"

Xórn stopped suddenly, confused. "To thank you for previously? What do you mean?"

"Ah. I apologize, however only one answer shall be given today." The voice fell silent for a moment before a Dark Corridor opened a few meters away from Xórn. A man in a black coat not too different from the Organization coat walked out – hood up. After a moment, he raised his hands to his head and pulled the hood down. "My name, old friend… Is Xehanort." He chuckled slightly, but his golden eyes continued to glare towards the weakened Nobody.

"Xehanort…? I…" He stopped suddenly as he put his hands to his head, trying to stop the pain that was swelling through his head as previously forgotten memories flowed into his mind. Xehanort only smiled slightly as he watched the Nobody yell in pain. After a few moments, when Xórn has recovered, he said, "I… I remember… Xehanort… I found you unconscious not long after I had fallen to Darkness. In the Wastelands of the Keyblade Graveyard…"

Xehanort nodded slightly, smiling. "Yes… However, I wasn't along."

Xórn started to shake his head slightly. "No… You weren't… There were two others… One… The woman with the blue hair… You sealed her within the Darkness before she had woken completely. And… The blonde child… You actually summoned a Keyblade… You stabbed his Heart with it. Changing the balance in his Heart – letting the Dark take over… But… Their names… I can't remember…"

"Ah… But I imagine you soon will, old friend. After all… Their names are written in legend of the past… Aqua… and Vanitas… These are their names."

Xórn's eyes widened at the names. "The same…? The same from the Second Keyblade War?"

Xehanort chuckled slightly at his surprise. "Indeed…" His golden eyes flashed with anger for a moment. However, the anger soon left, replaced with an empty calmness. "After all, it was I who started the Second Keyblade War. As the legend says, my attempt was a failure. However, I had planned the result of all routes. Even that."

Xórn started to growl slightly, but still shocked about what he had just learned. "But how are you here, Xehanort…? How are you here, centuries later?"

"Fragments of our Hearts were sealed within Kingdom Hearts, you see. An imprint of our former state was set in our Hearts. So, once my Heart had grown strong enough, once again, it was truly only a matter of time until I was able to break the seal. Albeit longer than I had expected, but a minor aspect such as this… It does not affect anything."

"But… The other… Vanitas… Where is he, Xehanort?"

"That, old friend, is a matter that does not concern you. However, I shall tell you this… You shall meet him again… And soon. But, first, we have a dispute that must be solved."

"Dispute? What do you mean?"

"My former apprentice… It would serve best if he were eliminated. So, I had my spy within your Organization arrange to trick the majority into believing there was a new Nobody – strength enough for a rank within the Organization… on Land of Ninja… Once my former apprentice and his partner arrived, I had arranged for a former contact to eliminate them."

"A contact…? And a spy...?" Xórn was slightly surprised. Raising his eyebrow slightly, he asked, "Who could you mean? I can't imagine you would have a contact there… Nor can I imagine you would be able to infiltrate the Organization."

Xehanort only chuckled slightly, "I have quite a few - contacts and spies… You needn't worry of this… However, my contact within the Akatsuki was able to ensure that two of their members were able to ambush Atoxkal and Hexclar."

Xórn visibly grew even more curious as Xehanort continued. "Two of their members?"

"Yes…" Xehanort grinned slightly, chuckling. "Their immortals… Hidan and Kakauzu."

"Hidan? And Kakauzu? You can not be serious! The two of them… They have it within their strength to slaughter the worth of entire cities!"

"Exactly, old friend… The two of them… They shall be no more, all too soon…"


	18. Chapter 17

_Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter XVII_

_Revival_

_The Keyblade Graveyard… I can easily tell a war took place here, same for two. Indeed interesting…_ Dirxaen thought as he and Xanaki stepped out of a Corridor. _I wonder what Xernontha sensed here…_

"Dirxaen, you coming?" Xanaki asked, already a few yards ahead of him.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Coming!" he nodded as he hurried to catch up. _Whatever it was, we'd best make sure to stay on guard…_

As they walked, the sky started to darken. Almost like an incoming storm, but he doubted it. This place looked like it hadn't gotten any rain in centuries. _Likely just getting late._

After a few hours of walking, the sky had become entirely dark. What was strange, however, was darker than a normal night, even. As they walked, the clearing they were in came to an edge – splitting into a small canyon.

A second clearing could be seen on the other side of the canyon. What was stranger still was how the darkness in the clearing was even 'stronger' there. Like Darkness instead. "Hey, Xanaki? Think that's it?" Dirxaen asked, curious at the dark clearing.

"Maybe. Let's check," she replied.

Dirxaen just nodded. _Wonder what it is… Left over from either War? Or possibly what Xernontha sensed?_

As they moved closer to the clearing, it looked like the darkness in the clearing was gathering in the center. _Wait…_The darkness started to gather in a sphere, quickly becoming more 'solid'._ Great! This is __**definitely**_ _Darkness._

They started to run towards the clearing. As the Darkness started to disperse, someone could be seen in its center. A black haired man with white stripes could be seen. He had an eyepatch over one eye, and a scar under the other. His golden, still working, eye glared at the two Nobodies. But… What was strange was he had a long black coat on. Just like Dirxaen and Xanaki. After the Darkness dispersed entirely, and dropped, landing on the ground.

The man grinned when he saw them. "Hey! What's goin' on? Who're you, kids?"

Dirxaen glared at the man. "Depends. Who are you?"

"Really? You don't know? Great… Guess you aren't with that old man."

Xanaki looked curious to that. "Why would you expect us to know you? And what – who's the old man you're talking about?"

"Yeah… Guess you two kids don't know, huh?"

Dirxaen glared. "She just said that."

"You kids have our uniform on, yet you don't even know who Xehanort is? Or Organization XIII?"

Xanaki growled slightly. "Quit with the jokes. I already know you're not part of the Organization. Xernontha-"

The man cut her off at that. "Xernontha? You gotta be kiddin' me… Time's already gone this far? Can't believe that kiddo knocked me out of the game this long…"

"What are you talking about?!" Xanaki growled. "Come on! Just quit the riddles!"

The man smirked slightly. "Riddles? As if. I'm being as plain as I can be, kid." He raised both arms, crossing them in front of him before throwing them down to his sides, summoning two arrow-guns. "But, the name's Braig."


	19. Chapter 18

_Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter XVIII_

_Annoyances and Truths_

As Xanecl and Tarhasreux stepped out of the Corridor, the first thing they noticed was the giant laughing moon with blood dripping out of its mouth. _…What's going on here…?_ Xanecl thought. _Not every day you see a moon like that…_

"Hey, Xanecl. Let's check that cave over there," he said, pointing behind them, "I can sense something powerful inside, but… At the same time, I get the feeling that there's a lot of negative energy, at the same time. Not quite Darkness, but… I don't really know. Like Light, but negative."

"That even possible?"

"I don't know. That's why I want to see."

_Sounds reasonable… Hope we won't regret this…_ "Alright. Let's go, then."

They nearly traveled for ten minutes before reaching the end of the cave, which turned out to be more of a cavern. What was strange, however, was that they met a few strange creatures along the way. The creatures looked like fairies, but whenever Tarhasreux mentioned something he sensed inside… Their faces grew into a look of either pure terror, pure annoyance, or completely disgusted. Sometimes, even a mixture of the three.

However, in the center of the room they had entered, a sword was laying sheathed inside of the rocks. "Xanecl, that sword… It's the source of the energy I sense."

"Think it could be the strange 'Weapon' Xernontha spoke of before?"

"One way to find out." Tarhasreux started to walk up towards the sword. Once at it, he just asked, "Hello?"

`_Draw the Sword… Release me…`_ sounded whispering inside of his head.

Confused, he paused for a moment as he thought. _I'll prepare for trouble, but release it. If nothing else, best way to defuse a trap is to first spring it… Heh._

As Tarhasreux put his hands on the hilt of the sword and pulled, the rocks fell away slightly as a bright light blinded him and Xanecl. When the light faded, a strange creature with an overly large hat was standing on the ground in front of Tarhasreux.

"Welcome to my cave, children," said the creature calmly. "I am the legendry sword… Excalibur!"

Tarhasreux raised an eyebrow slightly, "Excalibur…? I think I've heard the name once or twice, but I don't know… Are you a-"

Excalibur cut him off. "My legend dates back to the 12th century. Going off your appearance, I would guess that you aren't meisters." He paused slightly before continuing. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Xanecl and Tarhasreux," Xanecl replied, "We're-"

Excalibur cut him off, as well. "Fools! I know exactly who you are, and that you aren't from this World."

Tarhasreux started to look a bit annoyed, understanding a bit of the reaction the fairies gave. "But you asked us who-"

Yet again, Excalibur cut him off. "Fools! Come here, I want to show you something."

Xanecl gave Tarhasreux an annoyed look, which Tarhasreux returned, but they decided to follow.

Excalibur quickly turned about and pointed his cane at them. "Young ones. Do you wish to hear my legend? Do you want to hear a heroic tale?"

"Could you put that down?" Tarhasreux asked as he nodded towards the cane.

"Where have you come from?" Excalibur asked suddenly.

"Somewhere-"

"Fools! My legend dates back to the 12th century. What's your favorite number between one and twenty?"

"Seventeen," Tarhasreux muttered, regretting that he suggested searching the cavern.

"Ten," Xanecl growled as a reply. "Why are-"

"Fools! What right do you have to choose a number?! My legend dates back to the 12th century, you know!"

Tarhasreux sighed, muttering, "You asked-"

"Fools! Do you want to hear my legend or not?"

In response, they both growled slightly. Excalibur, however, took this as a yes.

"As I said, my legend begins in the 12th century. My mornings begin with a cup of coffee with cream at the local café. However, there is nothing better than herbal tea."

"But didn't you just-"

"Fools!" Excalibur paused for a moment before continuing. "As I said, my mornings always begin with a cup of coffee with cream. Then, my afternoons continue with a second cup of tea, but with two lumps of sugar."

"Didn't-"

"Fools! Finally, in the evening, I change into my pajamas."

"What relevance is there to-"

"Fools!" He paused again before continuing. "Do you know what this hat is? The taller the chef's hat, the greater the chef."

"Alright… Why-"

"Fools! Who said I was a chef?"

"Excalibur… Nothing you're saying is-"

"Fools! If you are to become my meister, there is a list of one thousand previsions that you must look through."

"But, you don't understand. We aren't-"

"Fools! Be sure to look through all of them. They're important." He paused for a moment before he started to twirl his cane. "Ah… I cannot wait for your precipitation in number four hundred and fifty two. The five hour story telling. It can make someone want to sing…"

"Sing…? Uh… We're-"

"Fools! Who said you were fit to make decisions. If you want to hear it, however, I will be happy to allow this one favor." He just cleared his throat before starting to sing. "Excalibur… Excalibur… From the United King, I'm looking for 'em, goin' to California! Excalibur… Excalibur…"

As he continued to sing, the Tarhasreux started to whisper something to Xanecl. "I'm going to open a Corridor… Now…! Escape while he's distracted."

Xanecl nodded slightly as Tarhasreux opened the Corridor. As soon as it was fully formed, the two Nobodies ran through it, closing it as they passed.

Once on the other side, they were silent. Tarhasreux broke the silence by muttering something to Xanecl. "If I ever… And I mean EVER… follow a 'negative Light'… Just attack me outright… PLEASE!"

Xanecl nodded slightly. "Yeah… I will… Don't worry…" He paused slightly. "And let's NEVER go back there…"

Tarhasreux nodded in turn. "Yeah…" After pausing, he continued, "Let's just check that village **AWAY **from the cavern and cliff, instead. Maybe we can complete our mission and get out of here, without having any more 'negative Light'…"

As they both started to travel down, neither noticed the boy in red leaning back against a tree not that far away, listening into the conversation. And, because of their exhaustion with the previous, neither had the strength to sense him. So, in turn, no-one saw him smirk before opening a Corridor and leaving.


	20. Chapter 19

_Thirteenth Order_

_Chapter XIX_

_Hunted_

Before the Corridor opened, Hexclar felt something off – different from what was expected. When she saw the environment around them, she knew for certain. Someone was messing with their ability to travel through Corridors.

What she saw on the other side of the Corridor wasn't the Grey Area – nor any other part of the World That Never Was, for that matter. They were in the heart of a cave. When she looked outside, all she could see was a desert that appeared to be barren of everything save sand and rock. _At least we're away from those two…_

She turned to look towards the unconscious figure of Atoxkal. The Darkness from the Corridor was able to heal most of the physical wounds, but that was all that it did. His energy was still damaged and unstable from the attack. He would need to rest for a while, but unfortunately she doubted that here would be safe for long. But at least they'd be safe for a time.

Hexclar went to go sit down next to Atoxkal, leaning against the cave wall and watching the entrance. After a short time of watching, she noticed the sky starting to grow darker. _It's probably just getting late… But I don't want __**any**__ more surprises…_

She started to focus a mixture of Darkness and Wind energy into forming a small barrier around the two of them. The barrier likely wouldn't last long under attack; however it should long enough to create another Corridor if there was trouble. Hopefully to the Castle That Never Was, this time…

After the barrier was fully formed, she looked down towards Atoxkal. He was a bit paler, unfortunately – and she grew more worried in turn. Suddenly, however, Atoxkal grunted slightly as he awoke with a start. Surprised, Hexclar put a hand on his shoulder. "Atoxkal! Are you alright?"

"Well enough… " he grunted, nodding. After a moment, he continued. "Are _you_ alright?"

She wryly chuckled in response. "You're injured. Don't worry about me."

In response, he only repeated his question. "Are you alright, Hexclar?"

"I'm just a bit tired, don't worry," she sighed. "Get some rest, though. I'll be right here keeping watch. I'll wake you if there's any trouble."

He shook his head stubbornly. "If you're tired, you get some rest. I've been 'resting'," he muttered. Half to himself, he added, "And I don't really want to get back to that nightmare…"

"Are you alright, Atoxkal? What-" She was cut off as an explosion sounded a short distance away from the cave's entrance. "We'd best get going!"

As she started to form a Corridor, another explosion sounded. This time closer. Hexclar moved a hand towards Atoxkal to help him walk towards the Corridor. He accepted the help as they went to walk towards their escape. As they stepped through, a third explosion sounded – hitting the cave. Hexclar closed the Dark Corridor once through, preventing whatever was attacking from following them.

The Corridor opened in another desolate area, not the Castle. This time it was on a coast, but it looked to be late at night. Not all too far away, there was a large rock. And it looked like someone was sitting on the rock.

The unknown figure looked to be in his late teens. He had long, silver hair, a black sleeveless vest, a white shirt, black pants, and tall black boots. His eyes were closed, but he raised his right hand towards Atoxkal and Hexclar.

Slowly, the two made their way towards him. "Who are you…" Hexclar asked cautiously. In response, he motioned for the two Nobodies to sit on the ground next to him. They did so, but cautiously.

Only once they did so did the figure open his eyes and look towards them. "It has been a while… Atoxkal… And… Hexclar, I assume?" he quietly said.

"Do we know you…?" Atoxkal muttered as he looked out, to the sea.

"I, rather I, know you, yes. However, neither of you know me, exactly," he responded, chuckling slightly.

"Would you quit with the riddles?" Atoxkal growled slightly to that. To himself, he added, "My head is already hurting enough…"

"And what is your name?" Hexclar asked. "And I guess you brought us here. Why?"

The figure chuckled again, slightly. "Very well… My name is Xehanort."

Hexclar jumped up, summoning her twin sai. "What do you want, Xehanort…?" She growled. And, almost as an afterthought, she muttered, "And you seem different… What's going on…?"

As Atoxkal started to stand, 'Xehanort' started to chuckle to himself. "Put your weapons away, children. I wish to talk, right now."

"And why should be believe you?" Atoxkal growled.

"Because, if this were a lie, why would I have given you this time?" He paused slightly before adding, "And if you believed this to be a lie, truly believed, why aren't you attacking me now?"

Hexclar sighed, but didn't let her guard down. "Just say what you want. But attack, and I will in turn."

He nodded slightly, accepting the terms. "To start with… _I_ am Xehanort. But not the exact Xehanort that you know currently. I am the Xehanort from the distant past. From directly after the point of starting my training… I-"

Atoxkal cut him off. "From the past? How would that even be possible?"

"There are a multiple number of restrictions to movement through time. First, you are required to leave your body behind. Then, there must be a version of yourself waiting at the destination time. Finally, upon arrival, you can move only forward as the laws of time permit. Also, it is impossible to rewrite events that are destined to occur. It was my future self, one known as 'Ansem', who taught me this. And, then, it was the Xehanort from your present time who assigned for me to travel to this era."

"What do you, or whatever one of you that is in command, want?" Hexclar asked.

"I am sure that your Hearts could answer that question, as it is obvious in that sense."

"What're you talking about?" Atoxkal growled. "We're Nobodies. We well know that we have no Hearts, that 'emotions' are memories – nothing more."

The younger Xehanort sighed. "So you still do not know? Hm…" Xehanort was silent as he looked out across the water.

"Just tell us what you're talking about," Hexclar growled. "Stop with the riddles."

"A Heart is never lost for good, child. The Soul... The Mind... The Spirit... And finally, the Heart. They are all tied to one another. While there may be variances in the dispositions of each person, the results are the same. A 'replacement' Heart can be formed, due to the strong connection it has with the other three. Once formed, it can grow. Understand that a Heart can be removed from a body, but the strong connection will force the missing piece to be replaced the first chance it is able. It will, of course, do so, for as many times as is required. So, those emotions that you feel... The joy, the sorrow, the anger, the fear... They are all true emotions," Xehanort 'emotionlessly' chuckled slightly before continuing. "You are all but real, children. You have Hearts, but not the Hearts that you lost. Everything about your emotions is not gotten through memory, but through truth."

Atoxkal looked stunned for a moment before muttering, "Y-You're lying, Xehanort! Trying to confuse us! Getting our hopes up before breaking them!"

"If I were lying, then you would have no 'hopes' at all. It would all be fake, an illusion. So that would be an invalid point, child."

"You know what I mean!"

Before Atoxkal could continue, Hexclar asked, "You didn't come all this way to just tell us this. Why are you here?"

Xehanort smirked, turning his full attention to the two. "Smart child…" he muttered. More aloud, he responded, "There is much that I will not tell you. However, there is a small detail I can inform you of… I am here, now, for the purpose of this. To test you."

"Test us? What do you mean?"

Xehanort let his gaze move past them, to the shadows starting to form behind them. In turn, Hexclar cautiously turned in the direction Xehanort was looking. The area behind them was completely covered in Darkness. She couldn't see any of the previous environment. But, one thing could easily be seen… Two giant, glowing red eyes. And the creature that they belonged to roared before starting an attack.


End file.
